On a hill above Pergamum stood a temple shaped like a throne, and in the city Jesus calls the place where Satan’s throne is, Antipas died, the only martyr named in Revelation. This sermon reads the letter to the church in Pergamum (Revelation 2) and shows how an enemy who could not win by frontal assault got inside through tolerated false teaching. The preacher asks bluntly how much of the world we live in quietly soaks into our thinking about success, failure and pleasure. Listen to hear what Jesus promises those who keep coming back to him for instructions on how to live.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Jesus introduces himself to the church in Pergamum as the one with the sharp, double-edged sword, and says: I know where you live, where Satan has his throne. What might these words have meant to Christians living in a city full of temples and emperor worship?
- Antipas is called a faithful witness, the same title given to Jesus. How does this perspective change the way we see his death: who really won?
- The speaker compared the enemy's strategy to the fall of Troy: not attacking from outside but destroying from within. How does this slow seeping of worldly thinking into the church and into believers show up today?
- The sermon showed that whatever we live around soaks into us, like our parents' words we suddenly hear coming out of our own mouths. What beliefs or fears with no foundation in Christ do you notice in yourself?
- The speaker gave examples of listening to Jesus selectively, such as 'I want to serve God on my own, away from the church.' In what area do you find it easiest to put your own understanding or the culture's opinion above his word?
- How can you abide more deeply in Jesus and his word this week, and also be a second pair of eyes and ears for someone close to you, gently pointing them to the truth?
